What to Do When You Fall Off the Fitness Bandwagon

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Earlier this week, Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell posted the above photo on Instagram and wrote: "Working on my fitness with @cynthiaczarnecki...#itsbeenawhile #shoeoftheday #nike." And while we totally loved Shay's awesome kicks, we also loved the underlying (and inspiring) message: you can totally get back on your workout game even if you've fallen off track. We checked in with Jenn Burke, a certified personal trainer and district manager of Crunch Fitness in Los Angeles to see exactly what you should do when it's been a couple days, a week, or even months since your last sweat sesh so that you re-enter the scene safely.

If you haven't worked out for a few days…
It's all about simply getting your foot out the door and reminding your body how good exercising feels—so Burke suggests going for an easy run around your neighborhood. "The key is to tell yourself that you're going to go for a short run," she explains. "Because what usually ends up happening is that you get out there, and after just a few minutes, your body gets into a groove and you think, 'Ohhh yeah, this feels great…I'm loving this,' and you end up going for a lot longer." Just be sure to warm up before and stretch after so you don't pull any muscles.

If you haven't worked out for a week…
Since it's been a bit longer than a couple days, you may have to do more than play a mental trick on yourself to get motivated—a.k.a. it's time to bring in the troops. "Make a fitness date with a friend, whether it's taking a class together, or meeting up in the park at a specific time to go running," Burke says. The fact that someone else is holding you accountable will be the added kick in the butt you need to get going. As far as the kind of workout you two do, it's up to you—you haven't been out of the game for that long, so your body can still take an intense session as long as you stretch and re-fuel properly.

If you haven't worked out for a month or more…
You've got two great options to wake your body back up again. The first: If you can afford it, buy one session with a personal trainer at your gym. "Since your body isn't used to strain right now, you're at risk of overdoing it big time the first time you go back. A personal trainer will pay super close attention to you to make sure you don't do that," Burke says. Also, the fact that you've been out of the game for a month could mean that you're a bit of a yo-yo exerciser, and a personal trainer will help you set up a more consistent schedule that works for you.

If you can't afford a trainer, though, no worries. Burke says you can enlist a friend to go with you to the gym to get you motivated. The reason the gym is better than a class or a run in this situation is that a class may be too intense and you might be worried about holding your friend back by running slowly—this way, you can go at separate paces. Your plan: Do about 20 minutes of light cardio (the treadmill or the elliptical), and then one full-body strength training circuit, doing about 10 reps for each move.